Conversation With An Old Flame
by digitalfletch
Summary: Set in late 1991, Anna Scorpio runs into one of Robert's past lovers.


Anna Scorpio stood in a small antechamber in the Port Charles Museum, sipping a mediocre white wine. The symphony fundraiser she was attending receded into the background as she contemplated the painting before her, an early Georgia O'Keeffe oil of the New York City skyline.

Robert was in New York City at the moment, away on police business, but Anna was expecting him home later tonight. Although he had only been gone two days she missed him terribly – it was the longest they had spent apart since their wedding. She was planning a surprise for his return – she'd managed to talk Frisco and Felicia into taking Robin for the night so the two of them could be alone. 'A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou,' she thought contentedly.

Smiling in happy anticipation, she took another sip of wine and headed back towards the main room to see if she could locate Sean. As she turned, she nearly collided with a tall form in white mink.

"Oh, hello Anna," a familiar voice said.

Anna looked up into the face of a statuesque woman with flowing blonde hair and lively blue eyes. "Hello, Katherine," she managed, trying to hide her surprise. Of all the people she imagined she might meet here tonight, Katherine Delafield was not one of them.

"I didn't expect to see you here tonight," Kate said, echoing Anna's thoughts.

Anna licked her lips, feeling unexpectedly self-conscious. "Oh, well, normally I wouldn't, but Sean and Tiffany had tickets, only Tiffany ended up having to cover it for the network so Sean asked if I'd come and keep him company. You look lovely," she added. Katherine had always been beautiful in a strong, vital sort of way, like a modern day Valkyrie, and tonight was no exception.

Kate dipped her head in acknowledgment, and returned a gaze that was intent and frankly assessing. "You look absolutely radiant," she said with her customary candor.

Anna colored at the unexpected compliment. "Thank you," she said, raising a hand to try and hide the blush she felt stealing over her cheeks.

"Marriage agrees with you," the musician said, catching sight of Anna's wedding ring.

Now Anna blushed in earnest. "Yes, it does," she agreed, trying unsuccessfully to keep a blissful smile from blazoning itself across her face. Despite the recent tension between herself and Robert, due to the lurking threat from Cesar Faison, she had never in her life been happier than she was now.

"Robert's not –" Katherine jerked her chin back towards the crowd in the main hall.

"No, he's in New York. On police business," Anna said quickly. She grinned a little. "You couldn't really imagine him at something like this, could you?" she said, knowing Kate would well remember Robert's intense dislike of fancy social engagements.

Katherine shook her head, her grin matching Anna's. "No." The smile faded. "That's why I figured it was safe to come."

Anna's sensitive ears detected the faintest hint of wistfulness in the tone. She searched her mind for something polite to say to her husband's former fiancé, who by breaking off their engagement had directly paved the way for she and Robert to rekindle their love. 'Thank you,' while apt, hardly seemed appropriate.

Katherine saved her from assaying an awkward conversational gambit by gesturing towards Anna's ring. "How long have you –"

Anna looked down, following her gaze. "Oh, about, uh, two months."

Kate's eyebrows rose. "I wouldn't have thought it would take so long for the two of you to get back together."

If the tone of Kate's voice hadn't been so utterly sincere Anna might have suspected a cheap shot. But she did have a point. Anna smiled ruefully. "Well, it wasn't exactly plain sailing. First of all, it took a while for Robert to see me as a woman again…rather than just as Robin's mother."

Kate, looking unsurprised, nodded encouragingly.

Anna took a sip of wine, wetting her lips. "Actually," she admitted, "it was quite a change for both of us. It had been so long since I'd thought of Robert in that way." And it had been. Years. Until Sean's confession brought all those long-buried romantic feelings back to the surface. But Robert and Katherine had been together then, and Anna had resolutely buried her resurgent emotions, convinced that it was too late for the two of them.

"But then came Valentine's Day." Anna's lips curved into a broad smile at the memory of her steamy seduction of her previously oblivious ex-spouse. It had taken a massive effort on her part to remind Robert of just what he'd been missing for all those years, but in the end it had been so worth it. "It was a real eye-opener, for both of us. And right after that his brother Mac showed up," she continued, wondering if Katherine really wanted to hear all this.

But the other woman was clearly intrigued. "I didn't know Robert had a brother."

"Neither did I," Anna confessed. "They'd been estranged for years, and then Mac just appeared all of a sudden off a freighter that blew up in the Port Charles harbor. Robert investigated the bombing, and Mac was under suspicion for a while but eventually he was cleared."

She decided to gloss over the period of time that followed Mac's arrival when Robert had, in quick succession, been shot at, gassed, and then bombed. Those had been the most terrifying weeks of her life. Just the memory of it turned the blood in her veins to ice. Katherine had once cared deeply for Robert – perhaps still cared, in some ways. Telling her how close he had come to death would only cause her unnecessary pain.

Instead she opted for a quick summary, skipping the details. "After that Robert and I wound up being apart for a while – it's a long story. And, well, in the end we realized we had a second chance together that we couldn't afford not to take."

Kate smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What about you? Are you…seeing anyone?" Anna tried to change the subject as tactfully as she could.

Kate looked down, suddenly fascinated with the straps on her purse. "No. There's no one." She shrugged and lifted mournful eyes to meet Anna's. "I'm finding…I'm finding that Robert can be a tough act to follow."

Hearing the note of sadness in her voice, Anna's heart went out to Kate. "I know what you mean," she said, feeling genuine sympathy for the other woman.

Kate's glance met Anna's shrewdly. "You never did get over him, not completely – did you?"

Anna took a quick gulp of wine. She'd forgotten how perceptive Katherine could be. Musician's sensitivity or something, she supposed. Her own history with Robert went back so many years now, but the associated tangle of emotions remained fresh and vivid in her mind. She didn't really want to share something so personal with this woman with whom she had never been close. But she owed Katherine for tonight, for her open friendliness, her lack of bitterness at seeing the rival to whom she had seceded the field now with everything that Kate herself had wanted.

"No, I never really did," she said at last, knowing it was true. "Even when we were the furtherest apart, I always felt like there was something missing inside me. Something… precious…that I'd lost." She continued, half to herself, "I didn't realize how precious it was until I got it back again after all this time."

She looked up to see tears shining in Kate's eyes and cursed herself for her insensitivity. "Oh, I'm sorry, Katherine, I really am." She reached out impulsively and laid a hand on Kate's arm. "I know there's someone out there for you. I'm sure of it."

Kate smiled weakly. "Another Robert?" she queried sadly.

"Another someone," Anna said firmly. "He may not replace Robert – maybe no one will – but he'll be someone who, when you're with him, can take the pain away."

Kate stood for a moment in silence, and then sighed. "I hope so. You really do love him, don't you," she said abruptly. It was more of a statement than a question.

Anna's right hand closed unconsciously over her wedding ring. "More than I can ever say," she replied, her voice low and intense.

"That's – that's good," Kate said, nodding to herself. "Robert needs that. He needs you." She puffed out a harsh breath. "You know, it's amazing that I didn't realize it right away. He used to say your name in his sleep."

Anna's eyes snapped to Kate's. "He did?"

"Um hmm," she said absently. Her eyes were fixed on a point in the distance over Anna's shoulder as she stared back into the past. After a moment she seemed to shake herself and with a conscious effort focused again on Anna. "You'll take care of him, won't you."

"I promise."

"Good." She drew her coat more closely around her. "Goodbye, Anna."

"Goodbye Katherine."

Anna watched as she turned and began to stride toward the main gallery. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with an impulse to stop her, to call her back. "Katherine –"

The tall woman turned back to face her, the look on her face questioning.

Anna paused, trying to work out what it was she wanted to express. Gratitude? Regret? Sorrow? Not that, anyway. She wasn't sorry about how things had turned out, not in the least. Guilt? Yes, perhaps that was it. She did feel a bit guilty for now having everything that Katherine had wanted. And for not having any regrets about it. She almost felt she owed the other woman an apology, but the words wouldn't reach her lips.

Kate nodded, as though she had heard the unspoken sentiment anyway. "I know," she said softly, then turned and walked away.

Anna sighed. She stared down at her wine glass and finished it in a quick gulp. Then she looked up at the ceiling and breathed a silent prayer of thanks for the second chance she and Robert had had, and for the generosity of an old flame.

FIN

6


End file.
